The Licking River is the star of Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve near Newark. It has carved a 4-mile-long gorge through the Blackhand sandstone. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

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Lock 16 on the Ohio & Erie Canal is tucked north of the Licking River in Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve in Licking County. Nearby is a 337-foot tunnel used by old trolleys. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

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The Deep Cut blasted through Blackhand sandstone by an old railroad is the most striking feature in Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve. The cut is 65 feet high, 30 feet wide and 700 feet long. It sits next to the Licking River near Newark. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

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Pockets of buttonbush swamps are tucked along the Blackhand Trail at Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

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An old log cabin is being turned into a small visitor center at Tobasco on the eastern end of Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

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The Licking River is the star of Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve near Newark. It has carved a 4-mile-long gorge through the Blackhand sandstone. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

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The Blackhand Trail runs 4.2 miles along the Licking River and through a sandstone gorge in Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve. Its name came froma now-gone, hand-shaped Indian petrogylph along the Licking River. The trail is popular with bicyclists and walkers. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

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The Deep Cut blasted through Blackhand sandstone by an old railroad is the most striking feature in Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve. The cut is 65 feet high, 30 feet wide and 700 feet long. It sits next to the Licking River near Newark. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

By Akron Beacon Journal Staff

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